


My Stevie

by stephrc79



Series: The Life of Bucky Barnes [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 13:19:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6007714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephrc79/pseuds/stephrc79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was their first <i>real</i> Valentine's Day since Bucky came home. But things hadn't gone according to plan, and now Bucky wasn't sure how he was supposed to give Steve this little present he'd made. It wasn't much, sure, but there was a message behind it, and that, well...</p><p>Today <i>had</i> to go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Stevie

**Author's Note:**

> Happy V Day, my lovelies!
> 
> Thanks for the quick beta by one of my favorite people, [Brenda](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Brenda/pseuds/Brenda).

One year, five months, three days, ten hours, and fourteen minutes.

One year, one month, eight days, six hours, and thirty-six minutes.

Technically, this wasn’t their first Valentine’s Day together (especially if you included all the ones _before_ Bucky’s fall), but this was the first one where Bucky truly had his faculties about him again.

It had been one year, five months, three days, ten hours, and fourteen minutes since the day Bucky had called Steve and told him to stop looking. That Bucky was working to find his way back to him — _would_ find his way back to him.

It had been one year, one month, eight days, six hours, and thirty-six minutes since Steve had walked through the doors at S.H.I.E.L.D. and saw Bucky again for the first time where Bucky’d actually known who he was. It had only been three hours and two minutes since Bucky had walked through those same doors himself and turned himself in. He couldn’t look at Steve when he’d shown up, but his mind had smiled at the idea that Steve probably wasn’t supposed to know Bucky was there, but the fool had most likely stubborned his way into finding out. Steve just always seemed to know which direction to turn to figure out where Bucky was being held.

Bucky sat along the patio ledge on their floor at Stark Tower, arms draped over the railing, his feet dangling out over the streets of New York, eighty-seven floors up. He and Steve recently moved out and into their own place in Brooklyn, but still came back here frequently when things got...bad. Unfortunately, yesterday had been especially bad, and Bucky had been having difficulty talking for the better part of the last sixteen hours and twenty-two minutes. One could argue that he should factor out the hours that he’d slept since yesterday, but that would imply he _had_ slept.

He looked down at the small fold of red in his hands and frowned at it. Today was supposed to be a holiday of lovers, and right now, Bucky could get out maybe two or three words at a time _at best._

He gripped the paper carefully in his metal hand — it was windy up here — screwed his eyes shut, and willed himself to speak. He could _do_ this.

“JARVIS,” he grunted.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?”

Bucky scowled at the title. He hated being called a sergeant, but it was supposed to be part of this whole rediscovery thing, so he was allowing it, even if reluctantly.

“Steve,” he said, after taking a deep breath. “Still sleeping?”

“No, Buck, I’m awake.”

Bucky jerked at the sudden intrusion, slipping on the railing. Panic shot through him as he scrambled to grab the handrail while simultaneously _not_ dropping his little fold of paper. He managed to wrap human fingers around the bar just as warm hands pressed against his back.

“Woah, there, buddy,” Steve said soothingly, and Bucky tilted his head back just enough to see Steve try and cover the terror in his eyes with a soft smile. “You tryin’ to give me a heart attack there, honey?”

“Sorry,” Bucky murmured and offered his own placating smile. “You...scared me.” He swallowed hard. “Didn’t hear you.”

Steve’s smile grew and a little crinkle appeared at the corner of his eyes. “You tellin’ me I actually managed to sneak up on the world’s most feared assassin? Points for me.”

Bucky managed to hide his frown, but only just. That was another thing he was supposed to be working on — reconciling his past. He’d recently given Steve permission to make jokes like that one, but yesterday had been a Bad Day. Still. Not Steve’s fault.

He had _plans_ this morning, Bucky did, and he wasn’t about to let something like a Bad Day get in the way of it. He loosened his grip on his little fold of paper. He was crinkling it.

He pulled himself upright and wrapped his arm around the railing again. He turned back to smile at Steve and patted the ledge next to himself, still careful of the paper in his hands.

“Sit,” he said. Steve’s eyebrows pulled a little, but he was still smiling as he pulled up the spot next to Bucky and held onto the railing. Bucky just folded his arms so he could rest his head and stare at Steve. _God_ he was beautiful. The kind of beauty reserved for people who did good things in life and went to heaven. This was the face of an angel, no question. If Bucky had led a good life, he would fully believe he was dead right now, and sitting with one of God’s own. No two ways to split that.

Fingers began to gently card through his long hair and he closed his eyes in contentment when soft lips pressed against his brow. “How’re you doin’ this morning, honey?”

“Better,” Bucky sighed. “Better now.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re here.”

Those same soft lips found their way to his temple and slowly, reverently, made their way down his cheek and jaw before ending at the corner of his mouth. He opened his eyes to find Steve resting his cheek on Bucky’s arm, scant inches from Bucky’s face.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.” Those fingers continued to brush through Bucky’s hair and down his spine, sending a small shiver up it.

With a sigh, Bucky leaned in for his own quick kiss. He steeled himself for a moment, working up to get all the words out. What he’d been working towards for some time. He breathed them out in a single rush. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Stevie.”

Steve’s eyes lit up like the morning winter sun, currently peaking itself out among the buildings here in their town. So much love and so much devotion in that one look, and Bucky knew it was because he’d called him _Stevie._

He’d been holding onto that one for some time. Hadn’t said it since that fateful phone call one year, five months, three days, ten hours, and thirty-nine minutes ago. Hadn’t said it when he saw him again for the first time one year, one month, eight days, seven hours, and one minute ago. Hadn’t said it on their first anniversary, both for the phone call, or Bucky’s return. Hadn’t said it on birthdays or at Christmas or New Year’s, or the first time they’d made love in this century. It was _special,_ meant only for when he was ready. Ready to open up the next chapter of their lives.

Yesterday had been a Bad Day. No way was today gonna be.

“You called me ‘Stevie’.” There was a hitch in Steve’s voice.

Bucky shrugged and nodded like it was nothing. “Isn’t that...who you are? My Stevie?”

“Yeah, Buck,” Steve answered with his own nod. “Yeah, I am.”

He leaned in for a kiss, but Bucky held up a hand to stop him. Instead he sat up, gave himself another moment, then shyly handed over his hand-made Valentine’s Day card.

Steve took it from him, gently and with a sense of awe. He looked down at the half-heart shape, his eyes wide. “This is for me?”

Bucky’s huff of laughter was barely audible. “Don’t see any...other ugly mooks...around here.”

Steve shook his head and smiled before turning to plant a slow kiss on Bucky’s lips. Then he pulled back and opened his card.

It was small and silly. Just some red construction paper Bucky’d found in Steve’s art room at their new home. He’d been ridiculously careful about cutting a perfectly-shaped heart, and even more careful about what message he wanted to write inside.

_To new firsts._

_To my Stevie._

_To my always._

_I love you._

_Bucky_

When the tears slipped from Steve’s eyes, Bucky knew his plans for the day were gonna go sideways a bit, but that was fine. He knew he’d done good, and that was all that mattered.

~~~~

Four years, eight hours, and twenty-six minutes.

Bucky brushed his fingers lightly around the frame that sat on their desk and smiled. It had been four years since he’d given Steve that simple little heart for Valentine’s Day — where he’d tried to pour all the love he had for this man onto its bright red page. Words in silver that hadn’t faded with time. Words that, if anything, had grown brighter and more vibrant.

Maybe that was just the waning light of the day streaming through the window, bouncing off the glint and making them shine.

Maybe they’d actually grown brighter in tandem with his love for Steve.

“You ready to go?”

He smiled at the sound of his favorite voice before looking up, only to have his breath catch at the sight of Steve, dressed in a new dove gray suit, clearly tailored to show off all the best lines of his body.

If the look on Steve’s face was anything to go by, he was thinking the same thing about Bucky in his new navy blue suit.

Steve walked up and rested his hands along Bucky’s shoulders before letting them slide down to take Bucky’s hands. “You look breathtaking, you know that?”

Bucky ducked his head against the flush rising in his skin. Then he pulled on Steve’s hands to wrap them around his back and stepped into Steve’s arms.

His little card was right at the front of his thoughts, and he tried to put the love he’d placed into it in the kiss he gave Steve now. He handed over every memory he had: Every good day, every bad one, every dance, every present, every time they’d made love, every time they’d fought side by side, every time they’d just _fought_ , every time they’d glanced at each other from across a room.

Every memory. Including the one of the little red card.

“I love you, Stevie,” he whispered as he pressed fingers alongside Steve’s neck. “So much.”

“That makes two of us, baby,” Steve answered. “Right to the very end.”

One more kiss and Bucky stepped back and took Steve’s hand. Seriously, how did he get so lucky.

“You ready for dinner?”

Steve hummed in acknowledgement and they started to head out. “What were you doing in here, anyway?”

Bucky shrugged as he grabbed his keys by the door. “Just remembering our first Valentine’s Day, is all.”

Steve wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned in. “To my always.”

Bucky smiled. “To my Stevie.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget! _The Life of Bucky Barnes_ is officially a series, and you can read/subscribe to it [HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/series/231039)!  
>  ~~~~~
> 
> Feel free to come play with me on tumblr at [stephrc79](http://www.stephrc79.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I promise I don't bite. Well, not unless you ask nicely.  
> ~~~~
> 
> All the artwork for [petite-madame's](http://petite-madame.tumblr.com) _The Life of Bucky Barnes_ can be found here on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/the_life_of_bucky_barnes/), and here on [Tumblr](http://the-life-of-bucky-barnes.tumblr.com). Enjoy!


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